The Belsby League
by Penned Peafowl
Summary: Follow the journey of five Pokémon enthusiasts as they travel throughout the Belsby Region. Parker and Eric collect gym badges, as they vie against one another to become the new champion. Sunny is unsure of whether she wants to follow in her parents' breeder footsteps or not. Gabrielle tries to understand her Jolteon, and Lucas tries to understand himself.


**A Note on the Story:** This will be based more on the games than the television show, since I haven't watched that since season three. When I was a kid, playing my crystal version, I used to wish so much that Pokémon were real. At school we'd play pretend and make up our own gym leaders and elite four, and it was just really fun. That's why, instead of basing this story in one of the official regions, I've created my own. The Belsby region takes many of its rules from the video games, but it also has its own quirks, so keep an open mind.

The Belsby League

Chapter One: Trainer Permit

Parker tightened her hold on the scissors. The metal loops kept sliding around in her sweaty grip, making her even more hesitant to bring the blades closer to her face. "You've got to do this!" she muttered to herself. Long ash blonde waves pleaded with her in the mirror. Sure, she didn't have the prettiest hair ever, but it was still upsetting to imagine it all gone.

Her mother would be particularly upset. In the family of seven, Parker was the only other person to have hair like her, blondish and kind of sort of curly. It was how she was known. Her mother soaked her locks with Sun In during her elementary summers in a fruitless attempt to keep it light. Numerous brush handles had snapped off while trying to fix the snarls Parker had a specialty of creating. And, for special occasions, her mom would spend up to an hour trying to straighten it all out. It never took more than twenty minutes for the spring to be back though. Yes, her mother would be highly displeased with what Parker planned to do. It had to go though!

"Come on, do it!" she goaded herself. Her mass of hair would only slow her down! She had been dreaming of this day for over a decade. There would be no time to struggle with snarls when she got on the road.

The young woman sighed. A thick lock of hair fell in front of her right eye, as it often did. Parker grabbed it and put it between the blades of the shears. She slid the scissors all the way up to her scalp, then lowered it an inch or so. Albeit a bad idea, she squeezed her eyelids shut as the scissors crunched through her hair. When she looked again, she saw mousy colored hair lying in the sink. "Well, that wasn't so bad," she whispered with a grin. She barely blinked through the rest of the haircut, too fascinated by the transformation taking place right in front of her. Near the end, she silently thought, _"It's like I'm evolving."_

Parker could hardly believe the girl staring back at her when she finished. Her hair was shorter than her brother's, and completely uneven, yet she loved it. Nothing was shielding back the determination in her baby blues anymore. Parker ran her stubby fingers through it. There was no way she wouldn't be able to start that day. The people at the licensing building would see that she was clearly ready! They'd smile all throughout her testing, and then congratulate her on her future successes when she passed.

If not for the house full of sleeping family members, she'd have jumped in the air and shouted. Instead, she settled for a bright beam. All that was left to do was clean up the mess she'd made of the bathroom, and then creep back to her room for a few hours of sleep.

* * *

Light was just starting to filter into the bedroom by the time she opened her eyes again. She blindly tapped at the Xtransceiver that never left her wrist until the digital clock blinked on. It was ten before five; she needed to leave soon.

It took several moments for her to fully crawl out of the cocoon of quilts she'd slept in. The wood floor was always so chilly and unwelcoming. She hadn't slept in a real bed for a year, partially for preparation. Most nights on the road, she figured, they'd be camping out on the ground. Her idea had worked out really great; her sisters had taken her bunk for extra storage in exchange for keeping her plans secret. Their parents were not exactly on board with the whole Pokémon journey thing.

The various pitches of her three sisters' snores bounced off the undecorated walls. They were more than enough to drown any sounds she made fumbling around the room. She'd forgotten to set out any clothes. How irresponsible of her! Now Parker had to go by the weak glow of her Xtransceiver's screen, searching dresser drawers for tops and bottoms that belonged to her. Nothing seemed appropriate enough to wear on such a special day.

Her fingers traced across cold smooth fabric shoved in the very back of a middle drawer. She tugged it until it came free. It was one of her older sisters' summer shirts. She remembered it immediately once she could make out the shape. It was a weird sort of stretchy shimmery material, kind of like a swim suit. Spaghetti straps and a cleavage boasting cut meant that it was something she would have never considered wearing before. Girls at school would have laughed at her thick arms, saying she looked like a man or just fat. Parker knew that she should have taken such mean words as compliments. She was stocky, with both muscles and padding. Parker was built strong enough to take on the challenges of the Belsby league. She'd surely accomplish great things, while her peers clung to their boring lives in South Heart.

Parker slipped off her baggy pajama top and pulled the pink tank top on. It got on okay, maybe a little long for her short torso. She was bustier than her sisters, so she imagined that part looked good enough. She checked the time again and saw that she really needed to go. Parker managed to find a pair of jeans that seemed to fit and one of her old flannel button downs for when she grew too self-conscious in the pink thing.

Once dressed, it was only a matter of minutes before she was out the door, listening to her sneakers crunch on the gravel road. Bright oranges and warm reds began twang against the darkness of the sky. Sunny would already be waiting. Parker was sure of that. Her best friend was habitually early, nearly compulsive even.

Sure enough, a station wagon with the dome lights on was pulled off to the side of the road at the first intersection. Parker walked up and pulled the passenger door open. A small blur of midnight fur bounced across the seat and onto her stomach. "Hey there," Parker cooed while rubbing behind the hyper Houndour's ear. Its tongue lolled out and eyes closed. It was Pokémon like her that made people forget just how seriously dangerous they were.

"Lilly, get in back with Zedd," the young woman behind the steering wheel chastised. Irritability oozed out of every word. The doglike creature bounded into the back seat. Zedd, an overstuffed skitty, never stirred as its pal curled up around its back. "You're late," Sunny said, turning her glare to Parker.

Parker smiled and lowered herself into the car. "You're as much of a morning person as ever."

"You tell me some ridiculous time that you need to be picked up, and then you decide to take your time."

"I'm only a few minutes late."

Despite being cranky, her best friend broke into wild laughter after staring at her long enough. "What in the name of Clefable did you do to your hair?" She reached over and roughly rubbed a palm on the top of Parker's head.

"Laugh now, but I'm not going to get stuck pulling twigs and junk out of my hair all the time."

Sunny pushed her thick black hair off her shoulders. "That's why you learn how to tie it up, like me."

Parker feared she was going to show her right there again. Sunny always wore her shiny hair in two French braids at the sides of her hair. It looked really nice, but took way too much time, usually requiring multiple attempts. Thankfully, she used her hands to start the car up instead.

They drove in near silence. Parker rested her forehead against the cold window, watching the world lose its darkness. The further south they went, the more and more frequently they passed by steep roofed houses. Although her small community was named South Heart, it was one of the northernmost towns in the Belsby region. It was some sort of joke, she assumed. Just like if you squinted your eyes hard enough at a map of the region, it kind of looked like a bell. But not really.

Sunny lived a lot closer to the city. Her family was still far enough away from New Haven that she attended the rural community school that Parker had. That was how they met. Parker had been in first grade and Sunny was the cool fifth grade transfer student whose family actually had Pokémon. It'd been a challenge to make such an older kid like her, but, with psychotic perseverance, Parker had made her seen what great friends they could be.

After forty minutes, they were pulling into the long driveway of the Mendoza residence. Sunny parked in front of the four car garage and didn't bother to lock up after she got out. Parker let the two Pokémon out of the backseat, having to gently shake Zedd awake. They entered through the white painted door with stained glass depictions of Pokéballs. Sunny kicked off her shoes and then headed for the upstairs, to, no doubt, finish snoozing. Parker followed Lilly towards the kitchen. Mr. and Mrs. Mendoza were having coffee at the small breakfast table. When she saw her, Mrs. Mendoza immediately stood up and wrapped Parker in a warm embrace.

"Happy birthday Honey!"

Parker tried to respond, "Thanks," but was muffled in the woman's large chest.

She pulled back after a few moments. "I know you've been so excited for today. You're going to do great on your exam!"

"You've spent enough time with us," Mr. Mendoza chimed in from his seat. "You should do just fine."

"I remember my first day as a trainer. I was never very good, but those are some of my most memorable years. That was how Alexander and I met, you know?"

Parker did know that very well. The married couple had told her hundreds of stories (and many of them several times) from when they were Pokémon trainers. Time went on and they discovered that they were better suited as breeders. They became well-to-do when they lived down by Quinnel Forest, but, after they adopted their younger son, they sought to move up north and try to bring Pokémon to people that were less acquainted with them. Parker was happy that they decided to do that; otherwise, she would probably have never had a best friend. Especially not one with a family she loved as much as Sunny's.

"Did Sunshine go back to bed?" Mr. Mendoza asked when his daughter hadn't joined them after ten minutes. "You'd think with that kind of name she'd love the mornings." He'd made that joke many times before, but Parker still laughed. Sunny cursed the name that her biological mother had given her.

"Let her sleep a few more hours; I'm sure when they're on the road, Parker won't let her sleep-in anymore."

"Of course not! There'll be too many badges to get." And also fame and fortune and maybe loves.

Alexander Mendoza rubbed his thick stubble. "One more hour, and then I'm getting Hunter up too."

After an hour and twenty minutes, a particularly large Swoobat came flying into the kitchen. It was soon followed by a small boy, rubbing his eyes. Hunter was fourteen years old, but could have easily passed for ten. He was shockingly pale with light features. People who knew them, called the Mendoza's the Rainbow Family. She could see why; no two of them had the same complexion. Parker didn't think people meant it to be mean, but Sunny hated it.

"You ready for breakfast?" the father asked his son. It surprised no one when Hunter did not respond. He hardly ever spoke. Parker knew he had some sort of condition, but she wasn't sure what. The Mendoza's always referred to it as 'people who were like Hunter.' The boy loved Pokémon, maybe even more so than Parker herself. He especially like psychic types, which his parents had been acquiring for him. They wrote articles about how deeply he interacted with his Swoobat, Tiffany. Parker never read those though. They upset Sunny, who said they were like an invasion of privacy.

Parker accepted an offered bowl of cereal. She had Hunter both finished eating and were in the process of drinking the sweetened milk when Sunny came into the room. Her hair was braided and she'd done a light streak of eyeliner around her almond (in shape and color) eyes. As usual, she was wearing the suspenders that she'd made herself. They held three pokéballs on each one. Most people made fun of them, but Parker begged and begged her for a pair to no avail. She stared at the full table for a while before speaking. "Your pack is in my room if you want to change clothes."

She looked down at her sister's shirt, which she'd already mostly covered with her dark flannel. "I'm good."

"You're going to roast in jeans."

She shrugged in response.

Sunny picked an apple from inside the refrigerator and began to eat it while leaning against the counter. "So do you guys like her hair?" She asked with a smirk between bites."

Her father just laughed. Hunter didn't seem to notice she spoke. Mrs. Mendoza responded with, "You know, I cut my hair down pretty short for my trainer years too." Parker must have made some sort of disbelief noise, because everyone's eyes turned to her. She'd always known Sunny's mother for her huge poof of hair. She'd never seen anything like it when she was a kid; it used to fascinate her.

* * *

Parker and Sunny spent a good chunk of time in her large backyard, if you could even call five acres a backyard. It came in handy for the Ponytas and Sawsbucks they had a good line of. Parker loved to watch the fire and grass types running alongside each other. They weren't back there to watch that that day though (it was far too early anyways). The two were helping out the family by going around to the numerous coops and barns and filling trays with food. It was almost like an animal farm, only the food they were putting out would not have raised an eyebrow if it was being served to a human. That and none of the Pokémon were restricted to cages or even buildings. They could run free whenever they felt the urge.

When they'd finished, it was after nine. "The licensing center opens at ten, right?" Parker asked as more of an indication that she wanted to leave than anything else.

"Yeah, we should probably head out."

Although they couldn't see her, Mrs. Mendoza heard them and called out, "Take your brother with you. You know how he loves going into the city."

"Yeah Mom, I was planning on it."

Getting Hunter and the three Pokémon that were coming with them into the wagon was a timely ordeal. He hated the backseat, but was too short to safely ride in the front. Lilly also vied for the passenger seat and while Sunny lectured her Houndour, Tiffany screeched at Zedd for wanting to sit on Hunter's lap. "Now remember Hunter," Sunny spoke to her brother once the Pokémon finally settled down. "Once we get into the city limits, Tiff needs to be put into her ball. And she can't come out until we're on the way home." Hunter actually nodded, worried lines traveling across his little forehead.

Her best friend was more talkative on the nearly hour long drive to New Haven. "So what's the plan for our journey? Picked out a first stop yet?"

"It depends on what my starter is," Parker responded as she watched Tiffany protectively perch between Zedd and Hunter. She wished her own Pokémon would love her half as much. "Like, I'd want to head towards the gym that gives me the biggest advantage, right?"

"Yeah that makes sense. Any type you're hoping for?"

They'd been going over this for the past eight years. Parker didn't mind letting the wondrous visions of her future trainer days out once again. "I'm still hoping for a fire type. Then we could go to Trinity City first. Or Quinnel."

"Trinity is really amazing. It's so different than New Haven; it's actually, you know, big. And impressive."

"Man, I haven't been anywhere cool. This summer is going to be so awesome!"

"Your parents know yet?"

"No," Parker snickered. "Like they'd notice I was gone after only a few hours. I bet you they won't call for at least three days."

"Probably."

"I hope I get something badass. Like a Sawk or a Shiftry. Ooo or a Magmar. Especially a Magmar."

"You know you won't get any of those, right? There are size and weight restrictions for starters."

"Yeah, I know. I can still dream though."

"You'll probably get a Sentret or a Vanillite." Sunny laughed. "At least, that's all they seemed to want when we used to supply the starters."

"Hey, Aiden used a Vanillite once."

"He's used everything once."

"I'm going to battle him one day, I've decided. I'm going to make him tell me his techniques."

Sunny just laughed some more and shook her head. Parker was serious though. One day, she would meet and battle with the famous One Mon Champion.

They pulled over at the last rest stop before New Haven. Sunny pulled off the only three pokéballs attached to her suspenders. Lilly and Zedd were put into theirs with no problems. Tiffany, however, fought going into hers. The shimmery light would envelop her and then just give out. Sunny had to put the ball into Hunter's hand, and then help him get her in there. He started to cry afterwards, but his cries were quiet and Sunny told her just to ignore it.

Hunter's eyes were dry before they even reached the rectangular cement building. They hadn't made it in time for opening, and the lot was nearly full. Parker saw a lot of people standing around inside. She counted heads while trying to calm her shaking hands. "C'mon," Sunny told her once she had gotten her brother out.

Plastic chairs were set up along two of the walls in the waiting area. They were sectioned off with computer paper signs designated for vehicles, passports, and Pokémon. There were only two chairs in the Pokémon section and both were empty. Parker was sure that one of them could have sat in a passport seat, but Hunter took the opportunity to sit on his older sister's lap.

Parker worked on a form attached to a clipboard that had been lying on the long desk separating the employees from the customers. It contained basic questions, like name and address. All of her black penned letters were coming out bumpy and uneven.

"Hey," a heavyset woman in her late forties beckoned from across the counter. Parker didn't look up until Sunny nudged her. "Yes, you." When she got up to the counter, the woman asked, "Are you here for a trainer permit exam?" Parker just nodded with a childish grin. "You're eighteen, right?"

"Yup! Today's my birthday."

"And graduated from high school or have a GED? That's one of the newer laws."

"I graduated last month. June fourth."

The woman never changed her bored expression. "Great. Well, we've only got one tester coming in today, and he won't be here for another hour, so you'll have to wait."

"That's fine."

"You're lucky. We don't have anyone half the time anymore. Not a lot of young people wanting to be trainers anymore. Least not here." She took the clipboard and Parker took a seat again.

* * *

It took exactly one hour twenty-six minutes and forty seconds for Parker to be called up to the counter again. Sunny had taken Hunter down to the library long ago, even though the kid wasn't getting fussy or anything. Not that he ever seemed to be bursting with too much energy.

It was the same woman who she'd talked to before. She explained to Parker that all trainer exams had been switched to oral two years ago. She then led Parker back past the counter and into a small room. Saying it was a room was generous, since her family's downstairs closet was bigger. There was an older looking speaker built into one of the white walls, but no windows or posters or anything else. A man's voice was came through it with clear quality. "Stand on the X please." Parker saw a blue X made out of tape on the speckled tile floor. She stepped up to it. "Thank you. Please acknowledge that you are aware that you are being recorded both visually and aurally."

Parker's gaze flashed up to a camera staring at her in a corner. "Why am I on video?"

"Too many unprepared people were acquiring our Pokémon through cheating on the written exams. These are simple precautions to ensure only those ready become trainers."

She wondered if every city did it that way now before speaking aloud that she was okay with being recorded.

"I will be asking you a series of questions, to which you will need to answer out loud. Speak only the answer please. If you answer too many questions wrong, you will be notified at the end of the exam, and, if you wish, can be given a list of the questions you answered incorrectly. We will start now."

"Okay," Parker swallowed hard. If she screwed this up, then she would be so humiliated! Her dreams did not start out with her having to wait seventy-two hours before retaking the exam. But she hadn't prepared for this odd way of testing.

"How many Pokémon does the trainer permit allow an individual to carry on their person?"

She ran her fingers through her choppy hair. "One."

"How many Pokémon does the trainer permit allow an individual to own?"

"Just one."

"When does someone qualify for a full trainer license?"

"After they've beaten a gym leader and gotten a badge."

"When can an individual carry four Pokémon on their person?"

"When they have four gym badges." So far, she knew she was doing fine. The questions were just as easy as Mr. Mendoza promised her they'd be.

"True or False: A trainer license entitles an individual to own and carry as many Pokémon as they wish."

"False." She didn't know if she should elaborate. She knew that nobody could carry more than six Pokémon in public anywhere in the region and she also knew that, even with a license, the number of Pokémon a Belsby born trainer could carry depended on how many badges they had.

"True or False: A person may be licensed as a trainer and a breeder."

Parker allowed herself to smile. Her best friend happened to be carrying a current license for both of those things. "True."

"Certain cities, suburbs, and counties in Belsby have placed bans on Pokémon. Can a trainer bring their Pokémon into those areas?"

"Only if they are in their pokéballs."

"What are the five types of pokéballs in the Belsby region?"

"Trainer, Breeder, Service, Show, and Pet."

"Please give a short description as to what each of these pokéballs does."

"Well, depending on their licenses, people can only buy certain types of pokéballs. If I get my trainer permit, then I'll be able buy trainer pokéballs. They'll register any Pokémon I catch as belonging to me and as a Pokémon that can be used in battles. All pokéballs register ownership though." Parker was afraid that she was rambling, but kept going, knowing that she hadn't even finished what was asked of her. "Breeders can buy the breeder pokéballs and are able to keep any eggs produced by the Pokémon registered to those balls. Service pokéballs register a Pokémon to being used for things like therapy or manual labor." She thought that Tiffany might have been a service Pokémon. All the pokéballs looked the same, having all their information stored on a chip. "Breeders that compete in non-battling competitions can buy the show ones, which say that a Pokémon can be in those shows. And any person without certain flaws on their records can buy the pet pokéballs. Those only work on certain types of Pokémon though, and they get them from a breeder, not in the wild." Parker exhaled deeply.

The voice behind the speaker did not seem at all flustered by the massive answer. "How can a trainer license or permit be revoked?

"If someone is caught with too many Pokémon. Or if they've been abusing them and stuff. Or if they commit any violent crimes."

Parker started getting antsy about halfway through the exam. She bounced on her heels and swung her arms at her sides. The questions kept coming! He asked her quick things, like how to retire battle Pokémon and what the punishments were for battling in a non-approved gym or arena. She was also asked to give lengthy answers. Her longest one was about how to prevent Pokémon from being seriously injured.

At the end of her exam, she was told to leave the room. The clerk who'd helped her before was once again waiting for her. She led her back into the public waiting area and asked her to have a seat. Sunny and Hunter had returned, so Parker was able to regale them with the story of how crazy the exam was administered. She hadn't even gotten to the end when her name was called.

This time a man was standing behind the counter for her. He was holding a thin stack of different colored papers. As soon as he spoke, she recognized his calm voice as the tester. "You did very well. Congratulations on earning your trainer permit." he said without much emotion. Parker, on the other hand, was ecstatic. She jumped up on her toes three times and shouted "Yes!" This elicited more than a few glares, but she didn't even notice. "You just need to sign a few more papers, take a photograph, and then I can give you your first Pokémon. Would you like your permit card to be sent to your primary address?"

"No!" Parker answered much too loudly. "If it could be mailed to a different one, that'd be great."

He added another form to the stack he was holding. "Alright, here you go. Please come up to the counter when you finish these."

Her penmanship on the post exam forms was bold, if not a little sloppy. She plowed through them as fast as possible. When she came back to the counter, she put them down so fast that they flew all over the floor. After they were back in a neat stack, she had her picture taken. The flash burned her eyes and she was sure that she was grinning like an idiot. Sunny and Hunter joined her at the counter to wait for the man. He finally returned with a familiar red and white sphere in his hand. "What kind is it?" Parker asked. Sunny put a forceful hand on her shoulder to still her wiggling body.

"That is something I will leave as a surprise. Remember though, do not release it until after you're out of New Haven." He gave her a yellow temporary permit before he'd hand over the pokéballs. It was much heavier than she thought it'd be. It was smooth but didn't feel like glass or plastic. The coolest thing, she thought, was that it was warm. Like the life inside it wanted her to knew it was in there. "If you'd like any accessories, like a Pokédex or belt, there is a store in town. It's two block east of here, on Brindle Road. Do you have any questions?"

"Nope, I've got this!"

"Alright then," his smile was pulled too tight and he walked away without any other words.

* * *

Nothing her best friend said could make it into Parker's head on the drive to the rest stop. The car could have been on fire and she wouldn't have noticed it. All her concentration was on the little miracle resting in her hands. She had to know what it was.

They pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car. The three of them walked to the grassy area behind the brick building that housed bathrooms. Sunny held up two pokéballs in one hand and the third the other. Zedd, Lilly, and Tiffany materialized without anything more than a quick tightening of her fingers. Parker held her own pokéball out in front of her and mimicked the gesture. Nothing happened. Sunny chuckled. "Believe it or not, but it take practice. I don't get how the technology works, but it's like they know when they're being called out. Your Pokémon has never even met you before. It doesn't know you want it."

"Then how do I get it out?" Parker squeezed harder.

"You've got to throw it as hard as you can."

"What? No way!" She didn't want to hurt it. And if it came out of the ball far away from her, then it might run off.

"Then we're going to be standing here all day."

"Fine, but go down that way. In case it gets scared and tries to run away."

Sunny shook her head and mumbled that it wouldn't happen, but began to walk anyways. She stopped where the grass was cut off by concrete, which was probably less than a hundred feet. "You've seen me with a baseball," Parker shouted to her. "Go back further!"

"Just throw it more upwards then!"

Parker rolled her eyes and gave the pokéball a little kiss and an apology for what she was about to do to it. Then she chucked it. It arched high didn't go as far as she thought it might. The ball still landed closer to Sunny though. The two girls ran towards it as it began to emit a strong light. A silhouette began to form when Parker got closer. It took shape. She grinned madly. She got to her first Pokémon ever just as color began to fill its heart-shaped form. Parker couldn't help that her smile fell when she recognized what it was.


End file.
